The present invention relates generally to compositions containing lactic acid bacteria and more specifically to compositions which are capable of assisting in intestinal regulation and which have the additional property of prevention of dental caries. The invention also relates to the methods of producing such compounds.
The term, "lactic acid bacteria", is a trivial name given to a diverse group of bacteria which are characterized by the production of lactic acid during the fermentation of carbohydrates. It is widely known that food products, such as yogurt, and pharmaceuticals, such as BIOFERMIN.TM., contain lactic acid bacteria. Among the lactic acid bacteria contained in such food product and pharmaceutical compositions are Streptococcus lactis, Streptococcus faecalis, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus bifidus. These bacteria are also characterized by their ability to aid in intestinal regulation, in part because such bacteria tend to remain in the human intestinal flora for relatively long periods after consumption.
The bacterial flora indigenous to the oral cavity vary continuously and consist of a variety of bacterial species. Among the bacteria indigenous to the oral cavity, the following species are classified as lactic acid bacteria by Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology: Vol. 2 (Williams & Wilkins, eds. 1986): Streptococcus salivarius, Streptococcus sangius, Streptococcus mitior, Streptococcus milleri, Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus rattus, Streptococcus cricetus, Streptococcus sobrinus, Streptococcus ferus, Streptococcus oralis, and Streptococcus mills.
Of interest to the present invention is my U.S. Ser. No. 07/772,850 filed on Oct. 8, 1991, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,306,639, wherein genetically transformed Streptococcus sanguis produced dextranase and glucanase which are useful in degrading insoluble glucan, the causative agent in the formation of dental plaque in the oral cavity.
Since the oral cavity is part of the human digestive track, it was hypothesized that enteric bacteria, such as those described above, may have effects (e.g., dental caries prevention) other than intestinal regulation and that such effects may be determined by culturing those bacteria which are also indigenous to the oral cavity.